Woodlands Fitness Centre

Hi, The advice I give in my newsletters is not for everyone. It's not intended for those who really have their nutrition dialled in, such as competitive bodybuilders and other athletes who benefit from fairly dramatic changes in their nutrition, such as 'off season' and 'pre-contest' and so on. These articles are not intended for those with medical issues who may be on a specific diet to treat or manage a specific medical condition. These newsletters are intended for the average person who wants to get off the Yo-Yo diet merry-go-round once and for all. As that's probably 99% of the population, it will cover millions of people. People should also not be scared off by my "you have to eat this way…

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Hi, The big picture realities of permanent weight loss and how you can look at a weight loss program and decide for yourself if it's for you based on what has been covered in these newsletters: • Permanent weight loss is not about finding a quick fix diet, but making a commitment to life style changes that include nutrition and exercise • Any weight loss program you choose must pass the "Can I eat that way for the rest of my life?" test, • The weight loss program you choose should ultimately teach you how to eat and be self reliant so you can make informed long term choices about your nutrition. • The weight loss program you choose should not leave you reliant on…

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Hi, There is a sucker born every minute. Seriously. Some people out there are, like, totes super gullible. When choosing a diet, always use the "Can I eat that way for the rest of my life?" Test. I know, it does not exactly roll off your tongue, but it gets the point across. The lesson here is: any nutritional plan you pick to lose weight must be part of a lifestyle change you will be able to follow - in one form or another - forever. That is, if it's not a way of eating you can comply with indefinitely, even after you get to your target weight, then it's worthless. Many fad diets you see out there will fail the "Can I…

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Hi, Psychology plays a major role in determining if people are successful with long term weight loss. If it's not addressed as part of the overall plan, it can be the factor that makes or breaks your success. This, however, is not an area most nutrition programs can adequately tackle and maybe should not be expected to. You might need help with motivation, goal setting, and support. If you see yourself as someone who has failed to maintain their weight long term, then maybe - in addition to regular resistance training - you will need to address those issues via counselling, support groups, etc. If you've tried every diet and exercise plan and can't slim down, there may be a psychological…

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Hi, Many diet programs out there don't address the psychological aspect of why people fail to be successful with long term weight loss. However, quite a few studies exist that have looked at just that. In many respects, the psychological aspect is the most important for long term weight loss, and probably the most underappreciated component. Studies that compare the psychological characteristics of people who have successfully kept the weight off to people who have regained the weight, see clear differences between these two groups. For example, one study that looked at 28 obese women who had lost weight but regained the weight that they had lost, compared to 28 formerly obese women who had lost weight and maintained their weight for…

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Hi, Okay, so before I burst into some ranting about calorie deficits, lifting weights etc, let's start with the Christmas opening times: Friday (Christmas Eve): 8am-12 noon (Group PT: Katie) Saturday (Christmas Day): Closed Sunday (Boxing Day): Closed Monday 27th: 8.00am-2.00pm (Kettlebells: Giles) Tuesday 28th : 8:00am-2.00pm (HIIT: Giles) Wednesday 29th: 8.00am-2.00pm (Body Con: Lee) Thursday 30th: 8.00am-2.00pm (Group PT: Giles) Friday (New Years Eve): 8.00am-2.00pm (Group PT: Giles) Saturday (New Years Day): Closed Sunday 2nd: 8.00am-2.00pm (Normal classes) Monday 3rd (Bank Holiday): 8.00am-2.00pm (Group PT: Giles) Any exercise is better than no exercise. However, like diet plans, not all exercise is created equal. I've talked / ranted about this extensively over the years. However, many people often choose the wrong form of exercise to maximize their efforts to lose weight. For example, they will do cardio exclusively and ignore resistance…

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Hi, People who have successfully kept the weight off overwhelmingly have incorporated exercise (especially resistance training) into their lives - and in my experience, the people who have successfully lost weight and kept it off invariably find these people were consistent with their diet and exercise plans. I am not going to list all the benefits of regular exercise here (recent newsletters and social media posts cover this topic!) - but regular exercise has positive effects on your metabolism, allows you to eat more calories yet still be in a calorie deficit. This will help you to preserve lean body mass - which is essential to your health and metabolism. The many health benefits of regular exercise are well known, so I…

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Hi, What is the missing link for long term weight loss? When choosing a nutrition program for long term weight loss, you actually need to involve nutrition. It's not just all about calories. But the missing link for long term weight loss for many people is exercise. Too many of you focus on dieting. Exercise is the essential component of long term weight loss. Many diet programs do not contain an exercise component - which means they are losers for long term weight loss from the very start. Any program that has its focus on weight loss but does not include a comprehensive exercise plan is like buying a car without tires. Or a plane without wings. You can't fly without…

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Hi, Let's do another diet A vs. diet B comparison. Diet A is going to supply you with their foods, as well as their special drink or bars to eat, and tell you exactly when to eat them. You will lose - say - 30 lbs in two months. Diet B is going to attempt to help you learn which foods you should eat, how many calories you need to eat, why you need to eat them, and generally attempt to help teach you how to eat as part of a total lifestyle change that will allow you to make informed decisions about your nutrition. Diet B causes a slow steady weight loss of 8 -10 lbs per month for the…

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